Businesses often look to find new ways to advertise and promote their products and services. Effective advertising methods vary among different types of businesses and industries, so there's not just one right way. To find out if billboard advertising is right for your business, weigh both the advantages and the disadvantages.

Advantage #1: People Will See It

Since billboards are generally placed along highways and busy streets, you'll be guaranteed that people will see your advertising. Also, unlike with commercials or magazine ads, you cannot flip the channel or turn the page on a billboard. Therefore, people will notice the billboard whether they like it or not. Another added benefit is that many people travel the same route repeatedly, such as with their commute to work each day. This meas that they'll see your billboard regularly, which makes it more likely to stick in their minds.

Advantage #2: Customized Placement

You can place your billboard advertisement wherever you feel it will have the most impact. This can be a big advantage when you have a business you want to draw traffic to right off a particular highway exit, or you have a showroom just down the road. You can also use billboards in areas where reaching people is difficult. An example is rural farming communities spread over vast distances. By placing your billboard advertisement along one of the main roads around the community, you'll greatly increase your visibility.

Disadvantage #1: Messages Must Be Brief

According to Marketing Scoop, on average, a person will see your billboard for about two to three seconds. This means you'll need to keep your messages short and to the point. Billboards do better when they focus more on images than on text. Also, billboards are often seen by people driving by. Since they are in motion, it makes it difficult for them to read. Therefore, any text written on the billboard must be large enough for them to read easily.

Disadvantage #2: Long-term Commitment

Billboard companies often have businesses enter into contracts that involve long-term commitments. Mainly, this is because it takes a lot of time, energy and money to constantly change billboard ads. According to Marketing Scoop, billboard contracts usually cover a duration of three months. This makes billboard advertising less conducive to businesses who frequently change their advertising campaigns on a weekly or monthly basis. Billboard advertising works better for overall business and brand advertising than it does for temporary specials and sales.